


Mischief Night

by Elizabeth Culmer (edenfalling)



Series: Tides [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Homecoming, Ninja, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Prompt Fic, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Teasing, cotton candy bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 14:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4923931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edenfalling/pseuds/Elizabeth%20Culmer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night before they return to Konoha for real, Team 7 blow off some steam by reversing their old genin missions. (Part of the <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/series/71629">Tides AU</a>.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mischief Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eos_joy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eos_joy/gifts).



> This ficlet was written for [eos_joy](http://eos_joy.dreamwidth.org) in response to the prompt: _Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke; "strangely satisfying"_.
> 
> The prompt text kind of fell out of this ficlet between inspiration and final result. Oops?
> 
> Anyway, this is another [Tides AU](http://archiveofourown.org/series/71629) installment, because apparently I feel bad about never actually writing the second and third fics in that sequence. This one kind of gives away the ultimate ending -- Team 7 come home together after plot stuff involving Akatsuki and whatnot -- but that was never a huge secret. It's also a [Cotton Candy Bingo](http://edenfalling.dreamwidth.org/747004.html%20) fill for the prompt _play_. *grin*

"This is objectively a terrible idea, not to mention stupid," Sakura says as she clings to the side of the Fire Lord's residence, disguised by darkness and the most delicate and unobtrusive genjutsu she can manage. "I hope you brought gloves because I am not healing any scratches unless they're through your eyelids or your dicks, or something equally hilarious."

"That's mean, Sakura-chan," Naruto says reproachfully. "Mean and also a lie. You love us too much to let us suffer."

"Both of you shut up and let me concentrate on breaking the security alarms," Sasuke says as his hands dance just over the surface of the windowpane, occasionally plucking and moving chakra threads invisible to normal sight. "If we're doing this at all, we're doing it right."

"Obviously we're doing it," Naruto says. "D-rank missions don't create themselves! We're making work for new genin teams, which is practically a patriotic duty when you think about it, and we kinda need to polish up our loyal Leaf-nin credentials if we're finally coming home. Oh hey! That reminds me -- once we finish replanting all the sweet potatoes upside-down, we should paint the Hokage monument for old times' sake. I bet Tsunade-baachan will love that."

"Clear," Sasuke says before Sakura can draw breath to explain to Naruto all the ways in which his logic fails to make _any sense at all_. "The seals will reset in half an hour -- I can't disrupt that without setting off a failsafe alarm -- so if anyone has suggestions for luring a cat into the open, share them now."

Wordlessly, Naruto fishes a tin of tuna out of his pocket. Sakura holds up a small bag of catnip.

Sasuke closes his eyes and looks pained.

Sakura turns her head to meet Naruto's amused gaze. "He didn't plan ahead, did he," she says.

Naruto shakes his head in exaggerated sorrow. "Nope. He never does. I don't know why I expected anything else."

"It's tragic," Sakura agrees.

"I don't know either of you," Sasuke says. "And I'm going to catch Tora while you're still figuring out how to open that tin without a can-opener." He pushes the windowpane up and swings in through the narrow gap, landing soundlessly on the polished wood floor of Lady Shijimi's music room.

Sakura watches him stalk across the room, around the piano, and out the door without bothering to check underneath or inside any of the furnishings. He also doesn't bother with a genjutsu, which is probably going to bite him in his very nicely shaped ass when a guard spots him and he remembers he can't use lethal force against a fellow Leaf-nin. (Naruto isn't using genjutsu either, but Sakura has given up being surprised at his improbable knack for stealth.)

"Do you ever think we should stop teasing Sasuke so much?" she wonders.

Naruto flicks his fingers at her headband, still blank and showing no allegiance for one more night before they all come home for the third and hopefully final time. "Nah. If we stopped, how would he know we still care? Now come on, the sooner we grab the cat, the more other fun stuff we can pull off before we have to start acting responsible again."

He rolls through the gap between sill and glass and beckons Sakura to follow.


End file.
